Musings on Medicine, Philosophy, Literature and Life

Things I have learnt from Harry Potter

I was idling away at home, with a HarryPotter Book (I was re-visiting the series for the nth time), and I suddenly thought if maybe I should have out-grown the book by now. I thankfully didn’t entertain the thought for a long time. The book is categorised under Children’s fiction (I found this when I visited a book store to buy the first of the series which I didn’t have in my collection. I was promptly directed to the kids section), I am a 26 year old adult, and I am not ashamed to say that my favourite book is Harry Potter and it continues to comfort me even today. I know I’m not alone in this feeling,(Judging by the never-ending fan posts I see on my news-feed put up by fully grown adults) And then I sat wondering what is so special about this book that makes it so awesome. And I realised that that there are many things we can learn from it, even adults can read it and make up for the lost years of learning.
Here are 25 life lessons I have learnt from reading Harry Potter:
1) As long as you have a few good Friends you can count on, who stand by you through thick and thin, every shit that life throws at you can be endured and you are good to go.

2) No matter how high you fly or how low your days seem, tides can turn in a minute; so always keep your head firmly on your shoulder. One day you may be wondering how ordinary and neglected your life is; next day a giant will enter your home and tell you you’re a famous wizard. One minute you will be rejoicing about leaving the nasty Dursleys to unite with your Godfather who will be cleared of all charges, the next minute Wormtail will escape and the godfather becomes an escaped convict again.

3) No matter how old you are, never stop marvelling at the magic around you. Curiosity is not a sin, one must however, exercise it with caution.

4) Never forget the ones who were there for you from the beginning, no matter how famous you become.

5) All that you hear and read is not always the truth. Never believe things on hearsay, and always have an open mind to possibilities.

6) Work hard like Hermione and rest will follow. Don’t silence the inner nerd in you just because the others are too stupid to understand it.

7) Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe is the truth. Do it, even if you’re the only one standing for it. Even if you’re called a madman for it. Also, It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.

8) Learn to forgive and give people a chance. I believe the world essentially runs on goodness. Although there is a lot of negativity today, but I believe the world still functions because the goodness outweighs the evil. Keep a lookout for that goodness. Believe and give people a chance for redemption if they seem to deserve it. If Dumbledore hadn’t believed in Snape’s goodness, he would still be a Death eater.

9) Embrace your weirdness and channelise the inner Luna Lovegood in you. The World today needs more Lunas.

10) While you are busy trying to ace the exams and get that promotion never forget that those are not the things that will give you the ultimate meaning in life. Never forget the Ron in you, who may not have out shined his mates in school or work, but was the most loyal person a friend or family could ask for.

11) Have a cause to fight for, a passion to strive for, but most of all have people to live for. Love is the strongest balm, the greatest comforter and the most important thing that matters. A lack of it will only produce Voldemorts.

12) You will meet many opportunists like wormtail in your way, people with no principles or courage who will only do what suits them right at the moment. Stay away from such people. Do not hate them, just pity them.

13) Encourage the weak and pull them up rather than silencing them down. And treat your inferiors as well as you treat those superior to you. Their weakness will one day become their strength.

14) Never judge people on the basis of the stereotypes that surround them. Hagrid may have been a giant but he was the kindest soul of all, Remus may have been a werewolf but he was the most caring and loyal friend one could have. Sirius belonged to the Black family but he fought against Voldy all his life. I find Draco’s character very intriguing. Throughout the series, from page one, one hates the boy, but towards the end, in the last couple of books, we see evidence of an inner battle within him. This shows that he was not all that the Malfoys symbolised and I wonder if Harry had accepted his hand of friendship in the beginning of first year would Draco have turned out different?

15) You will not always get a chance to say goodbye to the ones you love, or tell them how much they mean to you. Don’t take this for granted and tell people what they mean to you when you do have a chance.

16) It is okay to break rules once in a while if it’s for a good cause. Don’t be a lover of rules like Filch, because then you’re just an annoying prick. Rules are meant to be bent and broken, and there is always provision for it.

17) Always find the humorous side of life, no matter how difficult your life is. Laugh away your sorrows and troubles like Fred and George and you will lead a happy and healthy life.

18) Family is not always the ones related by blood. Make your own bunch of family who will fuss over you, watch over you, love you, scold you, pull you out of trouble and more importantly get in trouble with you.

19) Inaction is sometimes a bigger form of injustice than wrong action. When you see something wrong, act against it, even if you aren’t the one wronged.

20) Any establishment that deprives its people of voicing their opinion is dangerous. Any administration that silences the voices of its people is doomed.

21) Teachers have a big influence in your life even if you don’t realize it. They are your biggest assets; And your biggest problem if you’re under a teacher like Umbridge.

22) Never hesitate to ask for help when you need it. It will always arrive in some form or other. There is no shame in asking for help. You don’t have to bear the weight of all your troubles on your shoulders alone.

23) It is easier to forgive others for being wrong than for being right. Don’t be like Percy, learn to admit it when you have acted like a dimwit.

24) Listen to the voices in your head, they are very much real.

25) Last but not the least, Never let the Muggles get you down!

So next time, someone ridicules me for reading Harry Potter, I shall recite these to them. I have also made it my mission to convert non Potterheads into Potterheads, and hope this post will help in it. 🙂

Post navigation

6 thoughts on “Things I have learnt from Harry Potter”

After reading this one I realise, making points is much better than writing in paragraphs. It just got finished and I wanted to read more. You know it, I’m not a HP fan, still, I loved reading it. And I also believe, whatever values you learned in the series, were actually in you already. The books only give words to your own thoughts and discoveires. Books like HP series, Paulo Coelho, Robin Sharma books and many more, have something special that every time we read them we discover something new. Every character of HP is either within us or somewhere around us. Its our wisdom which character we choose. Thanks for reminding all the above points.